North Korea Bans Fun

Life in North Korea must be pretty bleak, provided you're not one of the rich people that'd been cozying up to the Kim family for the past 50-60 years. Now it's probably going to get worse, because King Bowl Cut has reportedly banned some of the fun things in life, including drinking, singing, and mother's day celebrations of all things.

The ban specifically involves gatherings of people that involve drinking and singing, apparently in retaliation to the international community's extra sanctions on North Korea in the wake of its nuclear testing. Which makes perfect sense. Punish the international community by making life miserable for your own citizens. That'll teach them.

While nothing official has come out of North Korea itself, the ban has been reported by South Korea’s National Intelligence Bureau during a closed-door briefing on Monday. News agency Yonhap has reported the agency of saying:

“[Pyongyang] has devised a system whereby party organs report people’s economic hardships on a daily basis, and it has banned any gatherings related to drinking, singing and other entertainment."

Daily NK, on the other hand, claims that the mother's day ban is out of concerns that celebrating one's dear old mum detracts from the fact North Korean citizens are supposed to revere their despot leader and his many chins. The day normally takes place in November, but North Korean authorities have declared that celebrating anyone but Kim Jong Un is not allowed - especially if they do it with flowers.

Because, North Korea, I guess. The country will probably deny everything in due course, possibly insisting it's some sort of western plot to destabilise the country.

Kim isn't just cracking down on the freedoms of the ordinary citizens, either. He's reportedly increasing his attention to the North Korean elite, ensuring their loyalty during what is clearly a turbulent time. [Telegraph]